You’ve got your site up to par with the latest in search engine optimization practices. What’s the next step you can take to get your website, and your business, found by search engines and readers alike? Try starting a blog.

A blog keeps you in touch with your customers and allows you to consistently provide new fresh content that appeals to search engine algorithms. In today’s online marketing landscape, content rules all. It might surprise you to know that content has only two weeks of shelf life to make an impact, before its freshness begins to fade. Blogging ensures your business remains on the radar and relevant to your customers. It also shows search engines that your website is up-to-date by publishing new and fresh content regularly. This is important, as search engines want to feature content that is current.

How do you go about writing a blog? Here are some tips on how to write a blog that attracts new leads to your business.

1. Be Passionate About Your Content.
   If you’re not interested in your content, it shows. Even if the topic at hand doesn’t carry the thrill of a breaking news story, infuse it with passion and give it an interesting spin. Chances are, if you’re interested in what you have to say, your readers will be too.
2. Be Dedicated and Update on a Regular Basis.
   Starting a blog is a commitment. Whether you write once a day, once a week, or once a month, writing a blog requires constant updating to be successful. Search engine optimization accumulates over time. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Google and other search engines crawl your blogs, and give your site credit for building related content. While it can take a while for your blog to get rolling, once you’ve established a successful blog stream, its momentum will capture regular leads.
3. Have a Killer Headline that Grabs Attention.
   To ensure that your articles get clicked on, make your headline attention-grabbing and to the point. But don’t go for cheap shock value. Though that might win you a few short-term clicks, it’s a transparent tactic that will ultimately turn off your customers. Stick with relevant, but engaging headlines that promise value. Think headlines like “5 Ways to…” “How to…”, or headlines that pose a question.
4. Make Your Content Useful and Relevant.
   Only write content that your customers will find helpful. For example, if you own an Italian restaurant, write blogs on classic Italian cooking or wine pairings for your dishes. These topics are not only interesting, but they offer value directly related to your business. Writing a blog is a business venture; your articles should serve a purpose. In order to draw targeted traffic that will convert into potential leads for your business, your blog must focus on content that is connected to your business and helpful to your customers.
5. Search Engine Optimize Your Content.
   Search engine optimized content is given priority by Google and other search engines. If you don’t know what search engine optimization is, get informed before starting a blog. SEO involves a complex variety of factors, and can be difficult to master, but it’s worth the effort! Quality search engine optimization makes a huge difference in getting your articles found, and builds over time as you accumulate content.
6. Make Your Articles Easy to Read.
   Reading a block of text is unappealing. Break your articles into small, easy-to-digest chunks to improve readability and allow customers to scan through your article to find relevant information.

   A few blogging tips to ensure your blogs are easy to read:
   • Use subheads – this lets your readers easily distinguish key points of interest
   • Use bullets – bulleted lists are much easier to read and quickly scan than a paragraph
   • Use paragraph breaks – large blocks of text can look unfriendly and overwhelming
   • Use bold and italics – differentiating crucial lines and phrases is helpful to your readers and lets them know where to focus

7. Think About Your Readers First.
   While it’s great to have an interest in the content you post, keep in mind that your customers drive the success of your blog. Before you write a blog, ask yourself these questions: Will this blog be interesting to my customers? Does this blog answer a question I’ve received from customers? Is this blog informative and relevant to my business? If you answer yes to all three, you’re on the right track!
8. Use Visuals and Videos.
   Engaging visuals capture attention and make your blog more interesting to readers. A blog with only text can seem boring or unappealing to a reader, before they even read it! Images and videos also break up text and make your blogs easier to digest. Just make sure the images you choose are relevant to the post. Diagrams, infographics, before/after photos, related videos and header images are all good options.
9. Think of Your Blog as an Interaction, and Share It!
   Your blog is a forum for customers to reach out to your business. Add a comment section to open the lines of communication, and make your blog feel more interactive, and less like one-sided promotion. Be sure to share your blog on all your social media feeds, too. Every person that likes one of your blogs exposes it to a new wave of prospective customers.

Have you tried staring a blog for your business? Have you found it helpful? We’d like to hear your thoughts on writing a blog. Share your experiences in the comments section!

Eden Advertising & Interactive is a Toronto-based online marketing agency that specializes in building web solutions for clients. Our web development and SEO team have years of experience designing and writing blogs that get real results for your business. Contact us to discuss how we can help you strengthen your online presence. Reach us at 1-800-844-0106.